Casa Contadina is a farmhouse restored and expanded by a2bc in 2011. Situated on the terraced hillside of Cinque Terre in Liguria, Italy, the house measures 320m² (3,444ft²).
The restoration and expansion of a farmhouse on the terraced hillside of Cinque Terre in Liguria focuses on the recovery and emphasis of original materials and construction techniques in a contemporary perspective. The main house has fully retained its structure and distribution while incorporating contemporary elements in substitution for the parts of the building that were not recoverable due to advanced stages of deterioration. New concrete paving unifies the spaces of the house, white plaster for the interior highlights the stone on the original bearing walls, and the new black window frames create a balanced contrast with the interiors of the house and the framing of the landscape. The furniture, refined but simple, plays on the combination of recovered and modern pieces, using colors that recall those of the surrounding landscape. The restoration of the main house is complemented by the reconstruction of the adjacent barn, of which only the foundation remained. A simple volume of split stone, typical of Liguria, is hollow to allow for a generous full-height opening towards the sea, whose adjustable brise soleil, the typical Genoese shutters, allow regulation of the light throughout the day. Inside, the smallest spaces, the ‘garden rooms’ (the surface is approximately equal to Le Corbusier’s Cabanon at Cap-Martin) has no more than a bed, wc, sink, and shower. The scheme is repeated on two floors.
— a2bc
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Photographs by Giovanna Silva
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